The Pearl of the Orient Seas
by 18katrina
Summary: When Philippines first started attending the world meetings, she never expected to fall in love. Especially with the man she despised the most. But of course, fate never had mercy on her. It was too late now, she was falling, and hard. CHAPTER 10 IS NOW UP! :D
1. Chapter 1

Hellooooo~ You are currently reading my first Hetalia fanfiction. Guess what? It's about (drum roll please) Philippines! She deserves a chance in the Hetalia world! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. But Philippines is mine! Mwahahahaha! :D

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><p><strong>October 20, 2010<strong> *

Heartbroken families, destroyed homes, the sorrowful eyes of those who have lost hope. What has become of her proud nation?

Maria was crestfallen when she saw the devastation that surrounded her. Debris was everywhere and not one home was left undamaged. She couldn't bare to look at her citizens, who were grieving for the loss of their loved ones.

She was still in shock of how powerful the typhoon was. Philippines was a tropical country, leaving it prone to earthquakes and hurricanes. But this storm was able to leave here country in shambles. It was most likely the most strongest one they ever endured.

With 45% of her population earning less than $2 daily, the houses that have been lost may take a while to be restored.**

Maria fell to her knees and wept. If she only had a better economy, then would there be fewer houses would have been lost? Would more lives be saved? Would more people know about the storm and actually prepare for it?

All these 'woulds' and 'ifs' passed through her mind. But there was nothing she could do now. Over 10 Filipinos were dead and about 200,000 of her people were left homeless.

_I may have failed. _Maria told herself. _As a person, a leader, and a nation. But I swear I will set things right. If I don't, then I don't deserve to to represent the Philippines._

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><p><strong>January 24 2011<strong>

Maria looked out of the car window and smiled. They were recovering slowly but steadily. She was thankful for the Red Cross, they had taken care of the shelter and food that her people desperately needed. She spent most of her time caring for the children and collecting funds which would be used for the construction of the new houses. She hoped that they would be fine while she was away.

She was quite nervous actually. This was her first time attending the world conference. Who wouldn't be afraid to literally meet the rest of the world? But if attending it meant that she could become a better country, then she was all up for it.

Maria hated the reason she hadn't gone to it in the first place. It was rather selfish actually. After Japan invaded her, she went into hiding. Why? Because she didn't want anybody conquering her anymore. She couldn't stand the war and bloodshed that was bestowed upon her land. But most importantly, she didn't want to be _betrayed_.

Betrayed. It was funny how that word kept following her around. When she was still a toddler, Antonio had found her and took her to live with him. He was so caring, so gentle. He had even given her a name! It was everything the little girl dreamed of.

But she was dead wrong.

While she was living in his Antonio's household, she was well unaware of what he did to her people. He had treated them like dirt.

For over 300 years she had been oblivious to everything the Spaniard did. She was as happy as a clam living in his house, not having a care in the world and whatnot.

Then on one faithful day, fate decided that it was _finally_ time to tell her the truth behind her caretakers' smiling face.

_**Flashback**_

_She had been wandering around the house that day, having nothing to do, and stumbled upon her so called "fatherly figure" arguing about Philippines with his boss._

"_Just sell her to America already, she is no longer of any use to us."_

"_B-but she thinks of me as her father! How would she react if I suddenly sell her to someone else? No quiero que mi hija me odia!" ***_

"_She's going to hate you eventually. When she realizes what we've been doing to her country behind her back. Besides, we already lost the war. We could use the extra money."_

" _P-pero-"_

"_It has already been decided, she will move to Alfred's house next week"_

_Footsteps started walking towards the door. Maria quickly scramble to her feet and rushed into her room down the hall._

He's been lying to me all along? Maria_ thought to herself, already on the verge of tears. _I can't believe I trusted him! _She buried her face into her pillow, feeling more pain then any teenage girl can possibly handle._

_**End Flashback**_

Not long after that, she had moved to America just as she had been told. She had a happy life there but was restrained. She felt like she needed more independence. Thus, the Philippine-American war begun. And they haven't spoken since then.

But that was nothing compared to when Japan conquered her. It was horrifying how the person she always looked up to had done such a cruel thing. He had sent her soldiers to a death march, had his soldiers rape her women, and gave a brutal and atrocious rule over the Philippines.

She hated how everyone she trusted, everyone she believed in, everyone she thought she knew so well, would soon betray her.

The realization cut through her like cold steel.

By the time Alfred saved her, Kiku had left a wound. An enormous one right in the center of her heart. One so big that she knew that it would take decades to heal.

The wound was healed now, but it left a scar. Maria still didn't forgive both Antonio and Kiku, she only forgave Alfred. The man hadn't done anything _that _bad. Besides, he had after all saved her from the Japanese occupation.

A few tears dropped from her eyes. She wiped them away, hating having to show such weakness. _I better get my act together. _She thought to herself. _If this is how I'm gonna act now, then I can't even imagine how it would be like during the meeti-_

The taxi suddenly stopped, pulling Maria out out her thoughts.

"Mawalang galang na?"****The driver said.

Maria wiped away the remaining tears and faced him.

"Yes?"

"Namin dumating sa paliparan." *****

Already? Didn't it take 2 hours to get to the airport? Has she really spent that much time thinking?

She paid the driver and thanked him before walking into the building. She sat down and patiently waited for her plane to started boarding.

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><p>Maria yawned as she got off of her chair. She was now in South Korea and had to board the next plane to New York in about 10 minutes. ******She stretched and started walking towards the now boarding airplane. When she got there, she plopped down into her oh so comfortable seat. This flight would take about 16 hours so it was probably a good time to take a nap.<p>

She was just about to fall asleep when another person sat down in the seat beside her. She paid no attention to him and tried to sleep again. _He better not bother me unless he wants his nose broken._

But then of course, he just _had _to do something that disturbed her. How did he disturb her?

Well let's just say that the first thing he said was: "Your breasts belong to me, da ze!"

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><p>*The beginning of this story takes place after the Philippines was hit by Hurricane Megi, one of the strongest hurricanes they ever faced.<p>

** Just check Wikipedia people. It's the source to all your answers.

*** No quiero que mi hija me odia!= I don't want my own daughter to hate me!

****Mawalang galang na? = Excuse me?

*****Namin dumating sa paliparan. = We have arrived at the airport.

****** When you travel from the Philippines to the USA, you have to first go to either Japan or Korea. After that, you go to your destination.

You know, in every Philippines fiction I read, she would always forgive Japan and always considered Spain as her father. In _my _opinion, I think she should be kind, hardworking, and stubborn. I wanted my fanfic to be different from all the other ones about Philippines. So in this story she stays mad at Antonio and Kiku. But don't worry, she'll forgive them eventually.

I'm sort of new to this sorta thing so I think I'll update every month. My teachers is really giving me a ton of work, so I really can't update all that fast. I'm sorry, I really am. :'(

But you know what? _**You get to choose who Philippines falls in love with!**_ The choices are below and make sure you include it in your review! I need all the results right now because all the romance starts in the next chapter!

And the choices are:

Arthur Kirkland

Alfred F. Jones

Kiku Honda

I personally would want Arthur since I originally wanted her to be with him but because I'm such an awesome person, I get to let you choose. But I'm the author so my vote counts twice! Haha!

Review or else become one with Mother Russia, da? ^J^


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: - Enough said.

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><p><strong>January 24, 2011<strong>

"Your breasts belong to _me_, da ze!"

Maria felt a pair of hands touch her...BREASTS? Why in the world was this guy touching her _breasts_? Did this guy really want to be beaten into a bloody pulp? There was a reason one of her people was a professional boxer.

She was just about to slap the poor boy and scream at him when an older looking man(?) beat her to it. _Is... is that a guy? _

"Im Yong Soo, aru! What have I told you about groping strangers!" The man(?) yelled. _Well he sounds like a woman... Was he gay?_

"I'm very sorry, aru." He sighed. "Im Yong-Soo is always like this. He gropes everyone whether they are a man or woman."

Maria relaxed, if this was normal then that was okay right? As long a he doesn't try anything along the way... That would be a very bad thing. Yes, a very bad thing indeed.

"It's alright. My name is Maria Claire De la Cruz Carriedo." She held out her hand to shake.

"Ah, that last name sounds familiar. Are you related to someone named Antonio?" He asked shaking her hand.

Maria froze. How did he know that? Surely Antonio wouldn't still talk about her right? Not after the war they had.

"Um, no. I'm sorry you must be mistaking me for somebody else."

Well, it wasn't _really _a lie. She doesn't consider Antonio as a father anymore, and she never had a true family to begin with. After all, they all betrayed her.

The guy introduced himself as Wang Yao. The younger one known as Yong-Soo sat back down on to his seat after Yao warned him to behave himself and left.

After a few minutes of awkward silence Yong-Soo turned to her and happily asked, "So where are you going to? I'm going to New York, da ze!"

_Oh joy, I'm going to have a groping maniac follow me on all my plane rides. _Maria thought. She forced a smile and replied, "Oh really? I'm going there too!"

"Really? Maybe we're both going to the same place! Are you attending the World Meeting, da ze?"

"Uh, yes I am." _Oh boy. Don't tell me this guy is..._

"Wow, da ze! You are too? I'm the personification of South Korea!"

Maria was shocked. If Yong-Soo was _this_ crazy, then she certainly didn't want to meet the rest of the countries. Was there still time to leave the plane? Hey, if she was gonna chicken out, she might as well do it now.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen, please sit down and fasten your seat belts. We will be taking flight in a few minutes."

Darn it.

She turned to the personification of South Korea. Oh well, she might as well make the best of this.

"I'm the personification of the Philippines."

At this, Yong-Soo perked up.

"Y-your Antonio's daughter! He always talks about you da ze..."

Maria frowned when she heard the mention of her former caretaker's name. She was still bitter about him. How could she not be?

Not wanting to answer, she just nodded and looked through the window. They just took flight a few minutes ago, and Maria still needed her nap.

Closing her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep. Im Yong-Soo better not try anything this time.

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><p><strong>January 25, 2011<strong>

"Attention Ladies and Gentlemen, we have arrived at New York City. Thank you for flying at Korean Airlines."

Maria slowly opened her eyes. Everyone was getting their luggage and stepping out of the airplane. She looked at Im Yong-Soo and found him fast asleep with drool slipping out of his mouth. She smiled. He was really cute when he wasn't groping you.

Maria stood up and stretched. Only two more days and she'll be at the world meeting. She shook Yong-Soo awake and got her luggage.

"Da ze? We're already here?" He said with a yawn.

"Yup. Let's hurry so we can get a cab."

Lazily, he stood up and got his things. As we both walked out of the airport, a sudden breeze came and left Maria with her teeth chattering. She grabbed her jacket and put it on, but it didn't help much.

"Malamig! It's never like this back home!" Maria said with her teeth chattering.

"But it's only 40 degrees, da ze. It usually gets colder."

"A-ano? It's already freezing!" Maria pulled her jacket on tighter. "Let's just hurry up and get a cab to bring us to a hotel."

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><p><strong>January 27, 2011<strong>

Maria pulled on her usual attire, a long red skirt, a white t-shirt, and her red sash. She let her black hair loose and carefully placed her national flower, the sampaguita, on her hair. She looked into the mirror, gazing at herself through it. Well, she looked pretty acceptable.

With nervous steps, Maria slowly walked out of her hotel and called for a taxi. Thankfully, she hadn't met any other countries during the two days she was at the hotel other than South Korea and his aniki, China.

Worriedly she kept glancing at her watch. It was 8:45. Yong-Soo had told her that the meeting started at 9:00. Hopefully she wouldn't be late.

After ten more minutes of fidgeting and constant glancing at her watch, the taxi finally came to a stop.

Maria took a deep breath and walked into the building. When she entered, she found various doors and a lady sitting behind a desk writing down something. She quickly walked towards her and asked her where the meeting was held.

After she was told, she went towards the door that the lady described. Taking another deep breath she knocked on the door. Maybe this time fate will be nice and let somebody she doesn't know open the door.

But then again, fate had not always been kind to her.

Maria snapped out of her thoughts as the door opened. The door opened slowly, and once it was wide enough to let her see who let her in, her eyes met with emerald green ones.

_Oh boy. _Her eyes were frantic as she hoped it wasn't who she thought it was.

But if it was, then fate surely wasn't merciful today.

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><p>Konnichiwa! I felt that the first chapter wasn't the best, I was sort of rushing through it. So let me make it up by submitting the 2nd chapter! I'm sort of struggling to make this longer. I've been told many times that my plots were good, but that I needed more details.<p>

Also, this chapter is sort of small because I'm still not sure who to put her with since the results are sort of even. Therefore, the real romance will start maybe in the next chapter.

Here are the results so far:

Arthur Kirkland- 1

Alfred F. Jones- 1

Kiku Honda- 2

I hoped you liked the chapter. I'm trying to make Maria not a Mary-Sue, because Mary-Sue's annoy me. A lot.

Once again, sorry for the sucky translations. Google translate helped me.

Please review! I enjoy criticism! And if you flame me, please tell me _why_ you hate the story. I'll try my best to please my readers!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. Duh.

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><p><strong>January 27, 2011<strong>

Maria breathed a sigh of relief as the door opened, revealing a tall man with messy blonde hair, emerald eyes, and two huge caterpillars resting on his forehead.

Hold on a second, were those his EYEBROWS?

"Pardon me. I believe your in the wrong room. This is where the world meeting is being held." The man spoke with a British accent.

Maria regained her composure and replied, "No, I'm here for the world meeting. I'm Maria, I represent the Republic of the Philippines."

"Is that so? Pleasure to meet you, I'm Arthur Kirkland. I represent Engla-"

The man now known as Arthur was interrupted by a freakishly loud (and annoying) laugh. Maria turned to see a man with dirty blond hair who was holding a hamburger in his hand walk towards them.

"AHAHAHA! Hey Iggy, who's that hot chick your talking to?" Alfred said while squinting his eyes to see who the young woman was.

"You wanker! Must you always interrupt while I speak with someone! And how many times have I told you not to call me that!"

Alfred just ignored this and continued to stare at Maria. "Hmm, do I know you?"

Maria dropped her mouth open in shock. Seriously? Did Alfred F. Jones, the person who saved her country many times, forget about her? She raised her hand to slap him, hoping to smack some sense into her former boss.

"Hey Maria! Don't slap me I was just kidding!" Alfred said. "Your still the same as ever."

Although Maria felt better now that she knew Alfred didn't forget her, she still slapped him.

"OW! Maria!" He yelped while holding his left cheek.

"That's what you get for pretending to forget me."

He just chuckled and pulled Maria into a bone-crushing hug. Maria just returned the hug warmly, realizing how much she missed her Kuya. She took a deep breath, for Alfred's hugs tended to leave her wheezing. He still smells like hamburgers and soda. Ugh, typical Alfred.

As predicted, when they parted Maria was gasping for breath. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. It's not _that_ type of gasping for breath. Perverts.

After that, all of them walked inside. Maria walked towards the end of the table, where most of the Asians were. She saw Im Yong-Soo wave at her, motioning for her to sit beside him.

Well, not motioning. More like calling her name repeatedly and waving both hands in the air.

Embarrassed, she accepted the invitation and started striding towards him. She came to a halt when she realized who she would be sitting between.

Next to Yong-Soo was an empty seat. If Maria were to sit there, then she would be sitting in between Yong-Soo and...

Kiku.

Right at that moment, Kiku had turned to face her, looking to see what caused Yong-Soo to cause such a commotion. It had took him a while for him to recognize her. Of course, they haven't seen each other for quite some time. Maria had changed a lot since then. His eye's widened in recognition after a few moments, and he quickly turned and avoided eye contact.

Maria just frowned. She hated him. She couldn't let go of how he had hurt her in the past. The lies, the betrayals, _the pain._ Kiku didn't only cause physical pain. He also caused emotional pain. Maria remembered the grieving faces of her citizens. What he did was just cruel. She just couldn't drop them from her mind. Her people died because of him, it was despicable.

But you know what? She was happy to see his face again. His face hadn't changed at all, and she couldn't wait to break it into pieces. It's what the jerk deserved.

What? Were you expecting her to forgive him? Well you were dead wrong.

Almost desperately, Maria darted her eyes around the room, trying to find another empty seat. Finally, she found one next to Wang Yao, the man(?) she had met along with Yong-Soo at the airport. She sat down next to him, ignoring the loud protests coming from Yong-Soo's mouth.

It seemed Yao was busy looking through his notes, so all he did was greet Maria with a warm smile and quickly go back to what he was previously doing.

When Arthur started the meeting, Maria gave him her undivided attention, although she was quite perplexed. Why was Arthur hosting the meeting? Wasn't Kuya Alfred supposed to? She looked at Alfred, who was pouting. She could see that there was a large bump growing on his forehead. Then, she saw the broken teacup on the floor next to him.

Maria laughed inwardly. Kuya Alfred must have annoyed Arthur to the point of him smashing a teacup on Kuya's forehead. She remembered how the both of them had the revolutionary war together. That must have left a wound in their relationship. It somehow reminded her of herself and Antonio. No. Their situation was different. Very different.

Arthur started the meeting with a discussion about trying to solve global warming. He immediately glared at Alfred. Alfred, being the typical American he is, ignored this and said what he usually says when they bring up this topic.

"I know! We should create a giant superhero to block out the sun!"

"You git! For the last time, if we do that then all of us would die! Do you want that to happen?" Arthur said while rubbing his temples.

"Ahahaha~ The hero never dies! Haven't you ever watched one of my movies?"

"I agree with America." Kiku said.

"Not again!" Said a man with blonde hair and a gun. "Tell us what you _really_ think! Or I'll shoot you with my gun!"

And somehow, after a matter of minutes, the whole conference room became a complete mess. People were arguing, teasing, yelling, and even chocking one another. Maria just sweat dropped at the whole scene. She wondered if this happened every time a meeting was held. It wouldn't be surprising. No wonder they never got anything accomplished, everytime they tried to, it turned into... this.

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" A loud voice boomed. The whole room fell silent.

_Diyos ko! _Maria thought. _He has such a loud voice!_

"WE ARE HERE TO SOLVE THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS NOT CREATE MORE!" The man yelled. Maria saw that he had slicked back blonde hair and blue eyes. And he looked rather serious too.

"Now, let's be reasonable countries and continue with our meeting. I believe Arthur was saying something before he got distracted." He nodded at him.

Arthur cleared his throat and began again. "As I was saying, we have to get back on our previous discussion about trying to solve global warming. But before we do that, I would like to welcome Maria. She will be attending our monthly meetings from now on."

Maria stood up and briefly told everyone her full name, the country she represents, and that she hoped to get along with everyone.

Suddenly, the door opened and revealed a smiling tan man with brown hair and was carrying a basket of tomatoes. It was Antonio.

"Sorry I was late. Lovi started throwing up after eating 100 tomatoes and I had to-" He noticed her. It was hard not to, seeing that she was the only one standing up. Their eyes met. Maria's heart was pounding hard against her chest. Her mouth dropped slightly in surprise, eyes widened. But she quickly exchanged this look for a scowl. He better not do anything...

Antonio's face broke into a smile. "Mi hija!"

Yup, fate definitely wasn't on her side today. In fact, she doesn't think that fate is ever on her side nowadays.

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><p>Hey guys! I'm sorry if you feel that this is not the way the Philippines should be acting. But after all, this is MY version of her. Hopefully she's not acting like a Mary-Sue. If she is, then tell me.<p>

I had fun recreating the world meeting from the first episode of Hetalia. I remember when I first watched it. It left me laughing in my sleep. :D

Ahonhonhon~ It looks like Kiku is winning the voting! I have a great plot set in my mind for this one if Kiku wins. GET YOUR VOTES IN! The voting end after this chapter!

Arthur Kirkland-1

Alfred F. Jones-1

Kiku Honda-7

Thank you so much for your reviews! They kept me motivated to write this chapter. I love to hear feedback so don't be shy!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: No, I do NOT own Hetalia! Stop bothering me already! I don't get it. Why do we have to do this again?

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><p><strong>January 27, 2011<strong>

"Mi hija!" Antonio exclaimed in his usual happy voice.

_Oh boy. _Maria panicked. She needed a distraction, and fast. She reached for the closest thing next to her, in this case it was Yao, and threw him towards Antonio. Hey, you should never underestimate the power of the Philippines. The entire room watched as he landed on top of Antonio, screaming curse words in Chinese.

"Maria, aru! Why would you do such a thing?"

But Maria already ran out of the room. She entered the girls bathroom, panting from how such a close call it was. She certainly did feel bad for Yao. Poor guy, having to face one of Maria's powerful throws. Seriously, that guy was super light, it was almost like he was a girl or something...

She looked into the mirror, watching one stray tear fall. She remembered the happier times, before the war. When she would always run up to him and hug him. How she wished she could do that now. But she couldn't. She wouldn't. She can't trust anybody anymore thanks to him.

The door opened slightly, but she didn't notice. She just continued looking at herself in the mirror.

"I can see that your still upset."

Maria turned around, surprised to see her Kuya Alfred standing behind her. He had a serious look on his face, an expression he hardly ever wears. Maria could see concern in her Kuya's eyes. She didn't answer, not knowing what to say.

"You're crying." He stated. He wiped away the one tear that was falling across her face with his thumb.

"I guess I haven't forgiven them yet for what those two did." She said. "I can't look be in the same room with those guys without having the urge to throw something at them."

Alfred burst out laughing. "It's good to know you inherited your super awesome strength from the HERO!" He grinned, any trace of concern left his face. Maria laughed. She really did love her Kuya, but like a brother of course. Only as a brother.

Alfred suddenly stopped laughing. He looked perplexed. "Uh, where are we?"

"I think you followed me into the girl's bathroom, Kuya."

With that, he left the room in a flash. Maria sighed. She really didn't want to go back into that room. Antonio and Kiku were in there. And let's not forget about Yao. Maria shivered. She remembered the stories Yong-Soo told her about his _aniki_ getting angry. Horrifying.

She walked through the doors and found an unconscious Antonio being treated by a nurse. Hm. He must have hit his head against the wall when Yao landed on top of him. Kiku still avoided eye contact and Yao had Yong-Soo to deal with, who was repeatedly asking Yao if he was okay. Pleased that she had nothing to worry about, she sat back down and they restarted the meeting.

The rest of the meeting was surprisingly productive...not. Yong-Soo was groping every person out there, male or female. Some tall Russian guy was harassing a scared little boy. And Arthur and a French man was strangling each other in a corner. Occasionally, the man she now knew as Ludwig would yell at them, only for the countries to fall silent for a few moments and start to quarrel again.

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><p>At the end of the day nothing much changed. The only thing the <em>did<em> get accomplished was the where the next meeting would be held, which was her own place. She offered to hold the meeting in the Philippines, so that she might actually accomplish something.

Maria sighed for the millionth time today. She didn't even get the chance to meet other countries. However, the Asian nations had invited her to eat a local oriental restaurant, and of course she accepted. She was actually looking forward to it. Somebody (although she didn't know who) was going to pick her up at around 7:00 to drive her there.

She entered the hotel building and went inside the elevator. She was going to stay here for the next 4 days, so she might as well make the best of it. Right before the elevator doors closed, a scowling young man stepped in. He looked oddly familiar, with his dark brown hair and long curl. Maria just couldn't put her finger on it. He looks like...

"Lovino!" She burst out. She remembered now! They were still both colonies of Spain when they last saw each other. How could she forget him? They had after all lived in the same house for centuries. They never got along when they were younger, but they grew to like each other when they got older.

Lovino stared at her with a perplexed face. "Who the fuck are you?"

Offended, Maria slapped him. Seriously, she hadn't changed much the past 50 years. But she was mostly offended by his use of words. "Don't use that kind of language on me. You haven't changed at all."

"Oh, it's you Maria. Only you can slap that hard."

She just laughed. She had slapped him at multiple times during their childhood. "Remember our last fight? The one about which fruit is better?"

"Yeah..."

_**Flashback**_

_Pillows, plates, and chairs were flying across the room. Vases were being smashed and paintings were turning crooked. This fight was something that was the cause of two young nations. Every time someone made another mad, they would have a fight like this. Any normal person would find that a 7 year old and a 9 year old having a fight like this wouldn't be normal. But of course, these are countries we're talking about._

"_Che! Tomatoes are way better than you fucking mangoes!" The younger one said._

"_NO! It's obviously mangoes that are better than tomatoes! And stop using such foul language!" Maria yelled. "That's it! I'm squishing another one!" She smashed one with her shoe, leaving a red stain on the white carpet._

"_My tomato! You bastard, I'll kill you!" Lovino said as he threw another plate._

_**End Flashback**_

"Good times." Maria laughed. They got along better when they got older. It's just that they were so hot tempered when they were younger.

"So how old are, human-wise. You're so tall." She asked.

Romano smirked. "I'm 22."

"Talaga? [1] But I'm only 17! I used to older than you by a year!"

"I guess male countries age faster than female countries."

Maria pouted. The elevator door opened as they said their goodbyes and parted.

Maria stared at her watch. It was 6:15. She fell into her bed, exhausted. She really needed a nap before she went to go to the dinner with the rest of the Asians. Not even bothering to change her clothes, she fell asleep.

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><p>"Maria, da ze! Wake up!"<p>

Maria felt somebody shake her awake. "Please Yong-Soo, just five more minutes."

"No, da ze! The others are waiting!" He wailed.

"Fine, fine." Maria got out of bed and changed her clothes, combing her hair in the process. "Alright, let's go."

Yong-Soo happily walked out of the room. Maria yawned as she locked the door. They started walking towards the parking lot. "So, are you going to drive, Yong-Soo?"

"Well, Aniki always says that if I ever drive with other people in the car, then they would all die, da ze! But I'm guessing that I can drive you because we're both immortal."

Maria gulped. She had never been in a near death situation before, excluding all the wars she fought. The thought of Yong-Soo scared her out of her wits. _Let's just hope I can die with most of my body intact, so I can at least have a proper burial._

She hesitantly sat down in the car. Yong-Soo started the engine. Maria muttered a quick prayer. Maybe she'll actually make it out alive. Or maybe not.

Maria was surprised that they got there in one piece. Well, not the car. Yong-Soo 'accidentally' backed up into a pole, so the back of the car was damaged. Oh well, at least they were still alive.

She walked into the restaurant and was instantly greeted by Yao. He led them to the table where all the others were sitting. From the five that were sitting there, she only recognized three. Yao, Yong-Soo, and Kiku (unfortunately.) There was a boy and a girl. The boy had brown hair and his face was expressionless. The girl sitting beside him had long hair and and a flower on her head. She was very pretty and had a smile on her face.

They all ordered their food and made some small talk. It turns out the boy was Hong Kong and the girl was Taiwan. They were all very welcoming, even Kiku tried to bring up a conversation between them. But Maria wouldn't cooperate. It went a little like this:

"S-so, Maria-san, how have you been?"

"Good."

"Do you like the food?"

"Yes."

"I see that you're still angry."

"Of course."

And so on and so forth. After a few more tries, Kiku gave up. He sighed. It looks like he was going to just tell her.

They all finished their foods and parted. Maria, being too scared to ride back into Yong-Soo's car, insisted that she would walk home. The hotel isn't even far away. She started walking, pulling her jacket closer to her. Her home was never this cold. Stupid weather.

"Matte kudasai!" [2] Somebody called.

Maria turned around and found Kiku running to catch up to her. "Ano ang gusto mo?" [3]

"I'm sorry. For what happened during the war."

Maria nodded. It wasn't a nod of approval. It was more of a nod that said, 'I heard what you said and I'm waling away right now'. And she did just that. Maria was really confused now. She knew that deep down in her heart that Kiku has changed. She knew that he was good now. So why doesn't she want to forgive him? Was it because of her horrible past with him? They used to be so close, like best friends, before the war. He did apologize after all. But does one apology make up for all those years of torment?

No, the question was, will she ever forgive him?

* * *

><p>[1] 'Talaga?' means 'Really?' in Filipino.<p>

[2]' Matte Kudasai' means 'Please wait' in Japanese.

[3] 'Ano ang gusto mo' means 'What do you want?' in Filipino. I used Google Translate so I'm sorry if it's wrong.

Hooray~ Looks like Kiku won! I can't wait for the romance to start! ^_^ But yeah, Maria's gonna have mixed feelings about Kiku for a while. All the romance will start in the 6th chapter!

So what do you think? Good? Bad? Not enough details? Too many details? Perfect? I doubt it.

Review! Italy will hug you if you do! Ve~


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer:*Sigh* You already know what I'm going to say, but I'll repeat it. I don't own Hetalia. Blah, blah, blah.

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><p><strong>February 14, 2011<strong>

Maria stepped back and looked at her conference room. It took her a few hours to clean and set the place up, seeing that it had never been used until today. Every country had a meeting room in their houses, it was mandatory. She checked her watch. There was still 1 hour left until the meeting would start. She already had everything done, so she might as well go and buy some Halo-Halo [1]. Hey, she did deserve some.

She had been thinking a lot the past few days about Kiku's apology. She didn't know if she should forgive him, or just go back to hating him. Sometimes it would give her a headache just thinking about it. In fact, it was giving her a headache right now.

She stepped outside and looked around. She was happy with the condition of her place. It had improved greatly since Typhoon Megi. Her people were up and running, and everything was nearly back to normal. She started walking to the nearest store that sold her favorite snack. She noticed that people were looking at something. She stopped walking when she heard familiar voices, and they sounded an awful lot like the former Allies.

"Bloody hell, Alfred! Did you get us lost again?"

"Dude, I swear that Maria's house was somewhere around here! If you just let me- Hey, is that McDonald's?"

"Let's not get distracted, da?"

"You western nations are so immature, aru."

"Ohonhonhon~ Some of the ladies here look really beautiful."

"You bloody frog! Stop thinking about those kinds of things."

"Bro, why are people staring at us?"

"Ay naku [2]. Maybe it's because you, oh I don't know, stand out?" Maria said from behind. Alfred jumped.

"Geez Maria... Don't scare us like that."

"Well, I couldn't just let you guys wander around. Now come on, you're distracting."

"Why were they staring at us? Do they have no manners?" Arthur questioned.

"Perhaps they are staring at me, Angleterre. It's very hard not to."

"Shut up!"

Maria sighed. So much for her Halo-Halo. She brought them into her house, hoping that would make them quiet down a little. Unfortunately, it didn't. Where was Ludwig when she needed him? Potted a polar bear on the ground close to her. "Hey little guy. Where's your owner?"

The bear tilted his head in an adorable fashion. "Who are you?"

"_T-that's my bear, Kumajiro." _Maria heard a soft voice speak to her. It was really quiet, like a whisper. She turned around and saw...nothing.

"Who said that?"

"_I did."_

She turned towards the direction the voice was coming from. Nope, still nothing. Maybe she was just hallucinating, with all the stress she had. Yup, that must be it. She shrugged and went to pick the cute little polar bear up, but found it floating up in the air. She would've screamed if she hadn't squinted and saw a translucent figure holding it up. He looked sort of like Kuya Alfred, except for the longer hair and the violet eyes.

"Woah! How did you get in here? And who are you?"

"_M-my name is Matthew Williams, I'm Canada. I came in h-here with the rest of the Allies."_

"Oh" That was all she said. She's never met anybody she could hardly see before. Well, it was a first. Right at that moment, a bunch of countries burst through the doors. Maria led them to the conference room, having to end the conversation with Matthew. There were only ten minutes left until the meeting would start. Wow, time flies.

She stepped unto the podium and asked everybody to quiet down, and started the meeting. She was really determined to get something done today. The only reason why she started to attend the world conferences was to improve her country. If they didn't want to cooperate, well, she would just make them. She could be really forceful at times.

She cleared her throat and began to speak. "I'm sure you all know why we're here today, for our monthly world conferences. But may I remind you that we're here for a reason, to improve our countries' conditions. So we better collaborate, or _else._" She paused for a moment to look at everyone in the eye. "After the meeting, I have prepared a whole bunch of mouth-watering foods. If we actually get productive today, you'll get to eat it." Everybody in the room fell quiet. Maria smirked. She knew that the only way to get them to work together would be food. They would usually be stuck in this room for 4 hours, and most of them would be practically dieing of hunger when the meeting's finished. She smiled. "So, let's get this started."

* * *

><p>It seemed that everybody was hungry, since Maria only had to shout once. Her shouts were louder than Ludwig's, but only if you got her really angry. She was a bit hot-tempered. She was happy at the progress they made. Judging from the last meeting, they've probably never made and progress until today. Poor Ludwig.<p>

"So where's the food, da ze?" Yong-Soo asked. He looked like he was ready to hop out of his seat anytime now.

"Be patient. My waiters are waiting outside the door right now, so calm down." She reassured. She motioned for them to come in. "Today, I prepared for you a 3 course meal. All of them are Filipino, so I hope you enjoy."

The countries dug into the food without delay. The first course was just a salad, so they didn't ask anything. By the time the second course came, they all looked at it with bewilderment. Maria saw nothing wrong with it, though. They all hesitantly took a bite of the food. Most of them smiled.

"Maria, aru! This is delicious!"

"Mon ami, what is the main ingredient to this?"

Maria smiled. "This is a traditional dish from my country! It's called Dinuguan [3], and it's made with pig blood!" Everybody stopped chewing. Francis almost threw up, and Kuya Alfred stared at her with surprise. Maria was perplexed. There was nothing wrong with this food, right? Then it hit her, blood wasn't a common ingredient in foods nowadays.

A really feminine guy spoke up. "Like, back in Poland, we have a dish pretty similar to this. It's called Czernina [4] but it's, like, made with duck blood instead of pig blood."

"In Scandinavia, we make blood pancakes!"

"_Blood p-pancakes?"_ Matthew whimpered. He tried to imagine himself eating blood pancakes covered in maple syrup. He gulped.

And somehow, the whole room started to talk about blood dishes from their country. Maria started to feel a bit sick from the mention of blood so much. Who knew that so many dishes were made with blood?

She quickly told the waiters to bring in the dessert, so that the conversation about blood will stop. They brought in the Halo-Halo. She knew everybody would love this dessert, it was her favorite. Again, the countries were hesitant in trying the dessert.

"What _is_ this?"

"It looks weird..."

"Is that _purple _ice cream?"

Maria felt a vain pop. "Just taste it!" Seriously, her food didn't look _that _weird. She really offended that these people were hesitant to taste this. "Look, you just mix everything together and eat it! It's not poisonous." She took a cup of Halo-Halo and ate. She had been craving this all day, and now she finally got to eat it.

Just like the last dish, they liked it. She really wanted to tell them to not judge a book by it's cover. Along with the Halo-Halo, there was a small bag of chocolates for everyone, since it was Valentines Day. Everybody left afterward, they were going to have to catch their planes soon. Some were going to stay in hotels for the next few days, and some were going with Maria so she can give them a tour.

Maria looked at the remaining people in her room. These were the countries that she would be giving a tour to. She really excited, she was getting to show what her country was like. Philippines truly is an extraordinary country. There stood the Frying Pangle [5], the Allies, and the Asians (Minus Japan. Who knows where he is?) She started showing them around Manila. She could see that some of her people were starting to stare. She couldn't blame them, you don't see many foreigners in the Philippines. These foreigners especially, with their loud voices, unusual clothing, and distracting features. She saw a poor young girl ask Elizaveta for money. She looked extremely confused since the girl was speaking in Tagalog. Maria went up to the little girl and gave her a few bills.

"Salamat po!" She said as she ran towards her parents, showing them the money she got.

"What did she ask me?"

Maria gave a sad smile. "A lot of people here don't earn a lot, some are so poor to the point in which they have to beg for money. That little girl was just one of many."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright."

She continued the tour, telling the countries about the typical daily lives of those who lived there. By the end of the day, she was exhausted from walking around in the hot sun. She got to know Elizaveta, Francis, Arthur, and Roderich a bit more though. Gilbert was just a nuisance and she was already close with most of the Asians, so that didn't help much.

Maria reached her house and rummaged through her purse in search for her house keys. She unlocked the door and entered her home. She sat down and breathed in the smell of rice and flowers. She wondered where the flower aroma came from, since nearly every plant she touched died. And she saw on the table a bouquet of cherry blossoms. Attached to the bouquet was a card. It read: 'I'm still sorry.' And on the lower right corner of the card was the signature of a certain Japanese man.

A tear rolled down her cheek, and she didn't bother to wipe it away. Kiku had given her flowers once before. It was the last time she had seen him before he occupied her. She remembered the day too well.

They knew that they couldn't speak to each other now that they were on opposite sides. They were like best friends, those two. Kiku had given her a bouquet of flowers exactly like the ones she was holding in her hands. He said in these exact words, "Whatever to the both of us throughout this war, remember that I got your back."

Maria realized she was sobbing hysterically now. She missed him, she really did. But he didn't keep his promise, and he hurt her. No, he didn't just hurt her. He broke her heart, into little tiny pieces that could be mended back together. She didn't know anymore. If only that war never happened, then they would be the same as they had been many years ago. The fond memories they had together were everything to her back then. He was her only company at that time, other than her Kuya Alfred. He was good now, the war was over. He apologized, and she wanted to forgive him.

What was she going to do now?

* * *

><p>[1] Halo-Halo is a really popular dessert in the Philippines. It's absolutely positively DELICIOUS! Look it up on Wikipedia, it gives you basic facts about it.<p>

[2] Ay naku is an expression in Tagalog when your exasperated about something or someone.

[3] Dinuguan is a Filipino dish made with pig blood. It's basically 'Pig Blood Stew'. My mom makes this dish at least once a month. It's pretty good if you ask me.

[4] When I searched up on how to spell Dinuguan, it brought me to a page that has a list of dishes from all over the world that are made with blood. Czernina is a dish from Poland made with duck blood.

[5] The Frying Pangle is a trio in Hetalia that is: Hungary, Austria, and Prussia. This is my favorite trio in APH other than the Bad Touch Trio.

Aloha~ I just wanted to inform you guys about the poll on my profile page. After this story, I'll write another story about Philippines. This is your chance if you didn't get who you wanted in the last voting!

Hey, I updated in a week! And this is my longest chapter yet! (But only by 300 words.) This may be my biggest accomplishment on FF. XD But don't expect me to update this quickly again.

So who's excited for the next chapter? I know I am! But please note that love happens _slowly. _When I say that the romance will start, I'm not saying that Maria will go into super-lover-crazy mode. Love takes time.

Please review! I seemed to have lost some reviewers after the voting ended... More reviews=Faster updates!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: No, I am not Hidekaz Himaruya. Therefore, I do not own Hetalia.

Are you ready for this chapter? You better be! This is the beginning to the entire romance plot!

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><p><strong>March 11, 2011<strong>

Today was yet again the day of another world conference. It was the usual, countries bickering and such. But today, Maria's thought's weren't on that. She ignored the sounds of fighting and the loud cuss words that filled the room. She kept her eyes fixed on the wall, thinking long and hard.

Maria's mind had been busy throughout the meeting. She just couldn't find herself coming to a decision Should she forgive him or not? She had been arguing with herself for four hours, and she still came to no conclusion. Kiku didn't show at the meeting today, though. That just made her worry even more. Apparently it showed that she was having trouble with herself, because her Kuya Alfred came to ask her what was wrong. She considered lying and telling him that everything was alright. Knowing Alfred, he would probably know it when she lies.

"Do you think I should forgive him, Kuya?" She asked. He probably already knew who she was talking about. He always seemed to read her mind when she was troubled. It could get creepy at times.

"Hm, Kiku? I think that's your choice, Mar-" He was cut off by the ring of his cellphone. He greeted it normally before becoming silent for a few moments. Maria could tell that something was wrong. Kuya Alfred's face was slowly turning pale, his expression in a form of shock and worry. His hands were trembling and he could hardly hold his cellphone correctly anymore. He responded and put his phone back in his pocket. He turned to Maria slowly and had a serious face that could rival Ludwig's.

This wasn't good.

He told her what just happened. Maria covered her mouth in shock. Was what Alfred telling her true? Did that really just happen? Terror-stricken, she asked Alfred if there was any way to get there.

"I have a helicopter on the rooftop. Do you know how to drive one?" He said while holding out his keys.

"I'll learn along the way." Maria replied. She grabbed the keys and rushed towards the elevator before he could object.

She hopped into the helicopter and prayed silently for everything to be alright. A helicopter wasn't that hard to control. Fortunately, this month's world meeting was at Yong-Soo's place, and that wasn't that far away from her destination. The gas tank was thankfully full, so she wouldn't need to worry about that.

The trip was only about 3 hours, but she was fidgeting constantly in her seat. The time seemed to triple in size as she continued to worry. It was all she could do. The more closer she got, the more distress would fill her. Before she knew it, she was there. She could see from a mile away. This wasn't the same country as before. The busy streets and cheerful people were replaced by loads of debris. Medics were everywhere, trying to treat the wounded. Others...weren't so lucky. The ground was cracked and the sky was filled with smoke.

What just happened to the country of Japan?

She landed the helicopter and came out. She stood there, trying to take it all in. This...was similar to what happened to her and the Typhoon Megi. It was something even the most cold-hearted person couldn't bear. The buildings that once stood tall was now crumbled and broken. She could remember that this was once a great city, a beautiful one in fact. Look at it now. It was unrecognizable.

Maria walked along what used to be a road. Shattered glass was crackling under her feet. She wondered how so much damage could be done in six minutes. But of course, she should know. She had experienced earthquakes similar to this as well. This place was a wreck. There was no doubt about it.

The worst thing about were the bodies. The _dead _bodies. Maria tried not to look at them, but it was nearly impossible. Rescuers were dragging some out of the rubble, most of them were just lying around. She couldn't help but wonder Kiku was one of them. Maria quickly dismissed the thought. Of course he was alive. How could he not be?

She recalled how she first reacted to a major disaster happening to her. It made her feel like poo. Seriously. Looking at the country, she wondered how Kiku must feel right now. _Kiku? Kiku! _She suddenly realized why she was there. She ran in the direction of Kiku's home. She knew it by heart, taking this route all the time when she was younger. Then she saw it. Or what was left of it. The huge Japanese style home was ruins now. Kiku was nowhere in sight.

Fate was cruel. And Maria knew that for sure. Kiku had owned many houses all over Japan, around 2 dozen. So why did it just so happen that he was staying at the epicenter when the earthquake happened?

She walked around the shattered home, trying to spot the Japanese man. The house was unusually large for only one person to live in. As she rummaged through, she found that some of the items in Kiku's house had survived. Her hands fell on a picture frame. It was over a century old, and she couldn't believe that he had kept it. It showed of her and Kiku smiling in front of the Chocolate Hills. Fondly remembering the memory, she smiled.

She sighed. To erase history, she would do anything. But that wasn't the reason why she was there. She continued scavenging around the place. Every now and then, she would spot something that would trigger some memories.

She started to wonder what would happen when she did find Kiku. Would she forgive him? Most likely. But who knows what's going on inside her head?

Feeling a bit tired, Maria sat down. She didn't even know what she was looking for anymore. She had been here for about an hour already, and she was exhausted. She stayed awake for nearly every night thinking about him, if he deserved to be forgiven. During the meeting, she had come to a conclusion, but was still stressed out. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Maria woke up to the sound of barking. Groggily, she stood up, trying to find the source of all the noise. It didn't take very long for her to spot tiny animal.<p>

"Hey little guy," She said as she picked it up. "You look familiar. Have I seen you before?"

The dog barked happily. _Didn't Kiku own a dog? Hm. What was his name again? Pogi? No, that's not it. Mochi? Nope._

"Pochi!" She remembered. The cute little thing would always tag along when she used to visit. She always had a soft spot for it.

Pochi squirmed out of her grasp, landing on the floor. Wagging his tail, he barked and ran off. Maria followed it, curious as to what it might want. Pochi stopped every now and then to see if she was following. Finally, it came to a stop in front of a pile of deteriorated rock. It sat down, whining.

"Pochi? What's wrong? Nothing's here." She asked. It just whined again. She decided to dig out whatever was underneath of it. She grunted each time she would pull out a large rock. Suddenly, she froze. Chills went down her spine at what lay before her.

Under the slabs of stone and broken planks of wood, lied a hand. Pale and bloody, with it's fingers curled. Hoping it wasn't who she thought it was, she frantically rushed to get that person out of there. Her face fell when she realized it was Kiku. Tears welled up into her eyes.

The man that lay before her appeared to be sleeping, if you didn't count all of the injuries. Cuts and bruises coated his face. His clothes were torn and covered in earth.

Whining once more, Pochi licked it's owner's hand. She wondered for how long he had been stuck in there. She wondered if he was even alive. Hesitantly, she said his name.

"K-Kiku?"

After receiving no reply, Maria tried nudging him awake. No response. She resorted to hitting and slapping him. Still no response. Tears slowly crawling down her face, she reached for his neck, trying to find a pulse.

But she found none.

* * *

><p>I'm sorry! *Hides behind a pillow* I didn't intentionally mean to stop there! But I love cliffhangers!<p>

I posted a poll on my profile on who to pair Philippines with on my next story. If you didn't get who you wanted last time, then vote on this poll!

This is probably the worst update ever. The chapter is short, I know. I'm also terribly sorry for it being very late! I've been lacking the motivation lately. You know, it would make my day if you guys reviewed for this chapter. *hint hint*


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Yes! I totally own Hetalia! No, I'm just kidding. Please don't sue me just yet.

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><p><strong>March 11, 2011<strong>

Maria almost fainted. _No, this can't be true! _She felt for a pulse again, she must have missed it or something. And she was right. There was a pulse, but a faint one. She didn't know how long it would last. She looked down, and realized that he also had a small pool of blood which resulted in a large wound in his calf. Kiku needed help right away. Scrambling to her feet, she desperately called for a medic.

It was hard to get one of them to understand what she was saying, since nearly all of them spoke only Japanese. When she finally found that could speak English, she told them what the problem was.

She watched as they rushed to where Kiku was. They pulled him onto a stretcher and into an ambulance. She climbed into the ambulance with him, just to make sure nothing else would happen to him. It would take a long time to get to the hospital, seeing that the only one that was not damaged severely by the earthquake was quite far away. Grasping his cold hand tightly, she silently prayed to God that everything would be alright. At least, for Kiku.

When they got to the building he was immediately taken the the emergency room. Nothing was preventing the blood from flowing out of his leg. The clean white floors were being stained with crimson red. Her hands were gripping his wrist so tightly that when they take him away part of his sleeve tears, leaving her with a fistful of white fabric. Doctors in sterile white, masked and gloved, already prepped, go into action. Kiku's so pale and still on that silver table, tubes and wires springing out of him out of every which way, it terrified her. Right when she was about to walk into the room, a glass door separated them. Maria had no choice but to wait.

Sitting down, she anxiously wondered what would happen next. Would this earthquake affect her own country? There was surely a possibility that a tsunami could happen. What about Japan? Will...Will he be able to recover? Of course he would. But how quickly?

Gazing through the invisible wall that separated them, she saw the doctors working feverishly on him, eyebrow creased in concentration. Tubes with flowing liquid connected him and these machines, with dials and lights that meant nothing to her. She wasn't sure, but she thought that his heart stopped twice.

If Maria hadn't been informed of this tragedy, Kiku wouldn't have any chance of survival. She imagined him laying under the pile of rubble she found him in, cold and still. She looked through the glass door to see the doctors still working on his leg. Something told her that there was much more that was wrong then just his leg. As if to confirm her suspicions, a doctor holding a clipboard came out to tell her Kiku's current condition.

Jumping up from her seat, she asked if he was okay. It had already been over three hours, how bad was he?

"He is currently suffering from Hypovolemic shock." His face turned solemn. "And in response to that..."

Oh boy.

"He's in a coma."

Maria's world crushed around her. A coma? For how long? She certainly wasn't expecting this.

"M-May I g-go see h-him?" She tried to prevent herself from crying. The doctor nodded.

When she entered the room, Maria did her best to try not to have a mental break down. Seeing him there, pale as a ghost, his IV standing right next to him, knowing she probably won't be talking to him for a while. Bandages were placed all over his body, and there was a cast holding his injured leg up. She sat down at the chair beside his bed. If she didn't know any better, she would say that he was sleeping. Technically, he was. But when would he wake up? When will he be able to open his eyes once more?

"I'm sorry." She whispered. Although she knew that she could control nature, she felt as if she were to blame for this. Before walking out the door, she placed a kiss on his forehead.

As she came out of the hospital, she saw the Asians. From her point of view, they looked quite distressed. For once, Yong-Soo didn't greet her by groping her. Instead, he went up to her with a concerned look on his face.

"Maria, da ze! Is Kiku alright?"

Not wanting to break the new to them about the coma, she just shook her head. "Kiku...Is going to have to rest for a long time."

"What do you mean, aru?"

"Just...see for yourself."

Once more, Maria went into the hospital, guiding them to his room. Immediately, Yong-Soo was at Kiku's side, trying to shake him awake. Taiwan was in tears, and Hong Kong remained as expressionless as ever. But nobody could miss the sadness in his eyes. Yao took on the face of most older brothers when they hear bad news. Yong-Soo was now hopelessly screaming Kiku's name.

"Yong-Soo, he's not waking up." Maria said placing a hand on the Korean's shoulder. "He's in a coma."

She wished she never said that because his face turned so sad that it was to much to bear. "Is he going to wake up soon, da ze?"

"I don't know."

* * *

><p>Deciding that she couldn't stay any longer, she went back home. When she got to her house, she immediately sat down in the couch and turned on her TV. Grabbing her remote, she browsed through the channels. Anything to get her mind off of today's events.<p>

"_The forecast today is bright and sunny with a 70% chance of-"_

Click.

"_You're a wizard, Harry!"_

Click.

"_Draw a circle, that's the-"_

Click.

"_Today something horrible happened to Japan. An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.9. The earthquake triggered a tsunami not long after."_

Maria was about to change the channel when she heard something that caught her attention. She sat up, eyes fixed on the screen.

"_There are also a number of countries that are on tsunami watch. Those countries include Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Hawaii. There have been thousands of casualties and the number is steadily rising."_

Her phone rang. She turned the TV off and answered.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Maria. I needed to inform you about something." It was Arthur.

"Mhm?"

"There will be another conference on the 13th due to...recent events. I have contacted everybody about it."

Another one? Maria groaned. She certainly wasn't in the mood to be in the same room with a bunch of bickering countries for the second time this week. Plus, she would have to book tickets for her next flight right away. Nonetheless, she replied politely.

"Alright, I'll be there." And she hanged up.

Sighing, she called her boss, telling him about the meeting not too far from now and that she needed tickets so that so that she could leave right away.

That night, Maria was quite sure that she had insomnia. The young girl was tossing and turning in bed. Lifting her blanket, she looked at the alarm clock just an arms reach away. It was 2:30 am. She had went to bed at 10:00 am. She tried counting sheep, shutting her eyes closed for long periods of time,and even drank warm milk. She was very sure she had insomnia.

Or maybe she just a lot of things on her mind...

Like what?

The health of a certain Japanese man for example.

* * *

><p>Yes, yes. I know. There wasn't anything really exciting in this chapter. I for one am starting feel a bit depressed since there was hardly any humor here. Don't worry, there will be <em>plenty<em> of humor in the next chapter. I promise you that. ^_^

Happy New Years Eve everyone! (Happy News Years to those in the Philippines!)

Reviews are love! And I love love! ;D


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I give up. I don't own Hetalia. -.-

This chapter is pretty much filler. ^_^ I decided to lighten the mood a bit, since there was hardly any humor on the last two chapters. Too much drama, you know? If you don't find it very funny, then I'm really sorry. I suck at humor. ^^"

There will be **cursing **in this chapter. Why? Because Lovino will always be Lovino, da? I try not to put cursing in my stories, but I can't have Lovino _not _curse. If I did, he would be extremely OOC.

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><p><strong>March 13, 2011<strong>

Today, Maria was in a rush. Why? Because she was late for the conference. And no, she wasn't talking about 10, 15, or even 30 minutes late. She was 2 hours late. And all because she couldn't get enough sleep the previous night. Stupid Kiku. Why did he have to be on her mind 24/7?

This wasn't new to her, since she would always arrive late to practically everything. But not _this _late.

It's not like it mattered anyways. They would probably still be screaming their vocal cords off or choking the life out of each other. Something like that.

She quickly put on her usual attire and headed out the door. When she burst through the doors of the room, she was greeted by people that were indeed screaming and choking each other. The thing was that they were people she didn't know, and that they were all women.

"What the..." Perhaps she was in the wrong room? She checked the room number. Nope, this was the right place. _Who are these people? _Maria looked around. She could quite put her finger on it, but a lot of them looked strangely familiar.

"Yo! Maria!" A pretty young lady with deep blue eyes and dirty blonde hair wearing a bomber jacket walked up to her, her right hand holding a hamburger.

"K-Kuya?"

"Yup! Well, I guess you can call me Ate now, though."

_How in the WORLD can they turn into girls? _"So is there any explanation for all of this?"

"Dude, Iggy got drunk while trying to cast a spell on France! He totally turned all of the men in this room into women! He says it's only temporary, though." The girl took a bite out of her hamburger and walked away.

_All the men nations are now...girls? _Well this was definitely new. She turned around to see a very upset Elizabeta holding her video camera.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Elizabeta looked up and saw the young Filipina standing next to her.

"Since all of the nations are girls, I can't really get any of the footage I wanted today."

"What kind of footage?"

The brunette winked. "Yaoi footage."

...what?

"You're into that stuff?"

"Of course! What's better than two hot men making out?" The Hungarian giggle. "I would usually have Kiku with me so we can trade videos. But since he's not here, I guess I'll have to bear with it myself."

"K-Kiku's into that stuff t-too?" Maria was surprised. She new that yaoi was a popular thing in Japan, but she never really expected Kiku to be interested in that sort of thing. This shocked her. Really.

"You should see how many yaoi manga's he has! It's enough to fill a whole library!" She sighed. "But that's besides the point. How am I supposed to get the yaoi I wanted?"

"Uh..."

"GO AWAY YOU FUCKING POTATO BASTARD!"

And they were interrupted by the scene of the girl version of Romano screaming at the girl version of Ludwig. Maria was quite surprised at how the representation of Germany looked like, since he was pretty much the manliest men of them all. Now that he was a (pretty) girl... She will _never _look at him the same way again.

She looked at Lovino. Or in this case, Lovina. Maria had to admit, she looked really nice with her shoulder length brown hair and petite figure. Yet she still had that scowl forever etched onto her face.

"Lovina! You're so pretty!" Maria squealed. The brunette just blushed slightly and continued to scream at Ludwig in her..._colorful _language.

"Ve~ Maria, we should do the other girls' make-up!" Feliaciano spoke up.

"We _should!_" She LOVED putting make-up on other girls' hair, even though she would probably refuse if somebody were to do it on her. The only time she would put on make-up was basically at formal gatherings.

Maria grabbed a random girl (which happened to be Lovino) while Feliciano grabbed Ludwig and made her sit down in a chair. Lovino stared at her with a 'WTF?' face.

"Lovi~ I'm gonna do your make-up!"

"Aw, _hell_ no!" The use-to-be-man tried to squirm out of her grasp and failed. _Man, Italians really are weak._

The Italian glared at her. Ignoring it, she started. She was brushing Lovino's hair being very careful not to touch her curl. She remembered the incident in which she had pulled his curl, and hard. It was when they were still in Antonio's household, but they were a bit older though. Around the human age of thirteen.

_Maria walked into Lovino's room, about to tell him that he had get up and eat dinner. She found him in his bed, in a deep sleep. The blanket was wrapped around him and his back was facing her. _

_She walked up to the bed trying to figure out what was the most annoying way to wake him up, when his curl caught her eye. It always amazed her at that how that curl just refused to stay down with the rest of his hair. Whenever she tried to touch it Lovino would always smack her hand away. _

_A smirk crept up to her lips. She knew a way to wake him up._

_Slowly, she wrapped her hand around his curl. She tugged it slightly, waiting for a reaction. Lovino groaned and shifted his position in bed. She pulled it again, a bit harder. His eyes suddenly shot open with a loud "Chigi!". Maria staggered back, surprised._

"_Oi, mango bitch! Were you touching my curl?" He swung his legs of the bed and started walking towards her. He backed her up into a wall._

_Maria bit her lip. "U-uh..." Who knew that he would get so angry over his curl? His face was really close, only inches apart. When he realized this, he blushed and turned around._

"_Don't fucking touch my curl again." He said as he walked out of the room._

_And from that day forward, Maria made sure she did just that._

She chuckled at the memory. She had found out later on that his curl was an erogenous zone. She didn't want any of that to happen again today. Especially since they were both girls now.

When she finished she looked over at what Feliciano was doing. It surprised her at how well she was doing the make-up on Ludwig, she had just turned into a girl today after all.

"Ve~ Do you like it?"

The look on Ludwig's face almost made her laugh. Maria felt a bit bad for him. Only a bit, though. She really needed to take a picture of that. Like, right now. She reached for her purse so she could take her camera, only to realize that it wasn't there. She remembered setting it down when she was using the bathroom, she must have left it there.

And with that, she ran out of the room as fast as she could. She ran into the girls bathroom, looking for her purse. When she saw it, she grabbed it and ran back to the meeting room.

Then, she burst into the room. Camera in her hand and everything.

But then she realized that all the girls were now men once again. Maria groaned. She could have blackmailed Ludwig or sold copies.

And that's when she realized that Ludwig was still in the dress that Feliciano made him wear a few moments ago. And he still had his make up on.

Maria felt a bit bad for him. But seeing Ludwig in girl clothes was pretty amusing.

Okay, let's rephrase that.

It was _very _amusing.

* * *

><p>Sorry guys, I procrastinated a lot. ^^; Plus, I had a really bad case of writer's block. And school. Stupid school. You're preventing me from updating. :O The ending was a bit rushed too...<p>

N-Nine reviews? :O For chapter 7? THANK YOU SO MUCH! :'D You guys made my day! By the way, WE HAVE REACHED THE HALFWAY POINT! :O I never thought that I would have made it this far! You guys are the best! :D

Vote on the poll in my profile! You get to choose who to pair Maria up in my _next_ story about her! But the poll closes as soon as this story ends!

Please review! ^_^

**EDIT: I have an important announcement on my profile. Just scroll down to the part when it says "Log". It will be in bold so it will be easy to see. It's really important!**


	9. Chapter 9

And we're back! Thank you for waiting! The move from California to Florida was really a big change for me. :') To make it up to you all, I'll post a new chapter of this story every week. Promise!

Lovi is in this chapter. That automatically means that there is cursing. :I Sadly...

Disclaimer: Please refer to previous chapters to find disclaimer. :P

* * *

><p><strong>April 15 2011<strong>

One month. It had already been one month since Kiku had been found in the rubble. And there still wasn't any sign of him waking up anytime soon. Maria didn't even know why she was so worried about him. Wasn't she mad at him? Certainly not anymore.

And that's exactly what she has been debating on these past few days in her head. Wasn't it about time to forgive Antonio too? It would be a lie to say that she didn't miss him. But it would also be a lie to say that she wasn't still angry at him.

In the end, she decided that she should just forgive the Spaniard. There was no reason in staying mad at him. It was the right thing to do anyways. It would benefit them both, and they would no longer have the strained relationship they have as of now. Even though things could never be the same as before.

Of course, just because she was going to _forgive_ him doesn't mean she was going to _trust_ him. That would be in the very far future, perhaps even never. The familial bond they previously had was a thing of the past now.

Her mind wondered when would Kiku wake up. How long would it take? A couple more months? A year? A few years? She surely hoped it wasn't the last one. Hopefully he would wake up soon. Although Maria was initially angry at him, now she realized how much he meant to her. They used to be so close, the war just tore them apart.

As of now she was on her way to Alfred's house. The American was inviting all of the countries to his place for a random party. She guessed that it would be nice to have some fun once in a while and get away from all that paperwork.

She pulled up into the driveway and knocked on the door. As expected, Alfred opened it.

"Dude, you came at the right time! We were just about to pick what game we should play!"

She came into the living room and saw that all the other nations were there. Most of them looked bored.

"All right dudes!" Alfred exclaimed. "What game should we play?"

"It would be fun to play 'Seven Minutes in Heaven', non?" Francis spoke up.

"You bloody frog, only you would suggest that! Besides, you would go far past the limits of that game anyways."

"_W-what about 'Truth or Dare'?" _Maria turned to see Matthew right next to her. Since when did he get there?

"Hey, I got a totally cool idea! Let's play 'Truth or Dare'!" Alfred said.

"_I just s-said that..."_

"Anyways, here are the rules! Nothing M rated," Francis groaned. "And if the person refuses to take the dare then...uh..."

"They'll cook us dinner!" Somebody in the background suggested.

"Yeah, that. Okay, I'll start!" Alfred looked around the room. "Lovino! Truth or dare?"

Lovino scoffed. "Che! I'm not gonna take any chances! Truth."

"Is it true that you curl is your erogenous zone?"

Lovino blushed a deep scarlet. Wow, he really did look like a tomato. He looked down and murmured something inaudible.

"What was that?"

"I fucking said yes!" Maria giggled at this. She had already known the answer to that.

"Now it's my fucking turn. Oi, tomato bastard. Truth or dare?"

"Dare~"

"I dare you to stop fucking call me 'Lovi' for the rest of the day."

"Okay, Lovi-" He glared at the Spaniard. "-no."

Antonio suddenly gazed upon Maria with a serious look on his face. Green bored into deep brown. "Maria," he started. "Truth or dare."

As if knowing what he wanted, Maria answered. "Truth."

"Are you still mad at me?" Concern was etched upon his face. Maria looked away, a small blush from embarrassment tinting her face. Why did he have to ask her in front of everybody?

"Hindi, po."

"..."

"..."

"DUDES! IT'S FAMILY BONDING TIME!" Alfred pulled them into a tight hug.

_Way to spoil the moment, Kuya. _Maria gave a small smile at her former boss. It was returned by that famous gleaming grin.12

The game continued on with practically everybody answering with 'truth'. That was, until the questions fell on Romano once more.

"Oi, mango bitch. Truth or dare."

Maria smirked. "Dare." She really wanted to see what he would make her do. They hated each other ever since they met. Which was hundreds of years ago. It's true that their relationship had gotten somewhat better, but the look in Lovino's eyes made her know that he still despise her. She didn't really like him either, but for the sake of foreign relations, she tried to be nicer to him. It had worked out a few times. Like when she first saw again in that elevator, but they only made small talk.

"I dare you to eat one of Arthur's scones."

"..."

"HEY! MY SCONES ARE _NOT_ THAT BAD!"

Alfred put his hand on Maria's shoulder. "Good bye, Maria. It's been nice knowing you."

"Oh come on. I'm sure his cooking isn't _that_ bad."

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><p>(30 minutes later)<p>

Maria stared at the plate set before her. The scones Arthur has made looked completely normal.

_They must have been overreacting. _Still, she slowly picked one up and stared at it. She turned around to see everybody watching her with wide eyes, seeing if she would really eat it.

Hesitantly, she popped one into her mouth. Actually, it didn't taste all that bad. She swallowed and saw that the entire world was looking at her in disbelief. Even Arthur.

Maria shrugged. "It tastes good."

*insert loud gasp from audience here*

The entire building erupted into World War III. Arthur was running around proclaiming that there wss now proof that he wasn't a secretive murderer through food poisoning, the rest of Europe was proclaiming that it was now the end of the world, and everyone else...was just adding to the chaos.

As of now, Im Yong Soo was asking her various questions of how she survived it. And to be honest, she was suddenly feeling drowsy.

"What did you say aga–" She passed out.

"Da ze?"

"OMG! England just, like, totally killed Maria!" Feliks shrieked.

* * *

><p>Yes, yes I know. The truth or dare game was boring. Please don't kill me. :|<p>

Short update is short. Again, this is just a filler. The plot should be taking place again on around the next chapter. :)

Guess what? In the poll, there was a tie! Japan and Hong Kong, who knew? Please vote on the new poll if you want either one of them. For those who voted on the other characters, don't worry. I'll make a story with each of them...someday.

Another announcement. I seriously _cannot_ take it anymore. So I'm sorry if this will create any OOCness but I'm going to stop writing curse words in my story. I've been telling myself that proper characterization is important, but in the end my own beliefs won over. So no more cursing after this chapter. Sorry...

I'll see you guys in a week! :D Possibly...


	10. Chapter 10

Hey guys, I'm back with the new chapter! Sorry for the delay, my computer broke down. -_- I'll try my best to get these chapters posted on time!

I've been currently feeling very depressed about how I lost all of my saved work from when my computer broke down. D: I had 8 future chapters of this story saved on there! And I was working on my new PruHun fic... (Which I was very excited about posting.) *sigh* All that hard work...

Maybe it's a sign from God saying that my stories suck and that I shouldn't even bother trying. *thinks about it* Nah~

By the way, I have a new contest posted at the bottom of the page. The people who enjoy drawing should join this one! :D

* * *

><p><strong>April 17, 2011<strong>

The first thing that Philippines saw when she woke up were two Asian brown eyes pretty much gazing into her own. Alarmed, she grabbed the first thing she laid her hands on and hit whoever it was with it.

...It turns out she grabbed Yao.

Again.

Both people were knocked down to the floor. Maria peered at them and found Yao and Im Yong-Soo sprawled on the floor. Yao being thrown on top of Yong-Soo.

"It always has to be me, aru," Yao grumbled as he got himself to his feet again.

"Ouch, da ze. Aniki, I think you should cut down on your fried rice. You're so heavy, da ze!" Yong-Soo complained.

Yao scowled at the Korean. "Aiyah! This wouldn't have happened if you didn't freak her out, aru!"

"I just wanted to see if she was awake, da ze!" Yong-Soo pouted.

Maria watched as the two argued. Was that the only thing that countries do these days? She sighed as she looked around the room. Perplexed, she turned to the bickering Asians.

"Uh, what am I doing in a hospital room?"

The two looked at her. Then Yao spoke. "You passed out after eating Arthur's cooking, aru."

"It was a baaad idea to do that dare, da ze..."

"How long was I out?"

"About two days, aru."

"WHAT?"

"He said two days, da ze."

"..."

"What's wrong, da ze?"

"Was this because of Arthur's cooking?"

"Uh... Yes, da ze?"

With a groan, she told the two Asians to get out of the room. After changing into her regular clothes, she walked out out of the room and towards the elevator so she can go home. With a ding, the elevator doors opened and revealed Arthur. _  
><em>

"Oh, M-Maria! F-Fancy seeing you here..." he stuttered.

"The reason why I was in this hospital in the first place was because of your food poisoning," she said bluntly.

Arthur started to bang his head against the wall as a form of punishment. "Perhaps I should just stick to magic."

Maria chuckled at him. "Well I guess it wasn't _entirely_ your fault."

He stopped banging his head against the wall when the elevator had brought them to the first floor. "R-Really?"

"Yup! Technically, it was also partly Romano's fault for making me do the dare," Maria said. A dark aura suddenly appeared around her. "He's a dead man when I see him."

The elevator opened with yet another ding and allowed the two countries to be exited from the Hospital (Which was much to Arthur's relief, he really didn't like that look Maria had plastered on her face).

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><p>Quickie chappie just to show that I haven't died yet. ^^; I'm really sorry... This really sucks doesn't it? :(<p>

I've had this new fanfiction plot stuck in my head for quite some time now. The problem is that the 2P! Hetalia characters are going to play a major role in it, and I don't know much about 2P! Hetalia. So if you guys know any info on this, please PM me. :)

***Contest* **

**As you guys may know, has given us the wonderful option of having story cover. Now, don't get me wrong, I would draw a story cover if I could, but I can't draw to save my life. So I was hoping that one of you guys could do it! :D There are a few rules though:**

**1. No more than 3 images per person. **

**2. The image can be drawn however you want it, but it _must_ show both Japan and the Philippines.**

**3. Must be colored.**

**And that's it! Now here's the great news: EVERYBODY IS A WINNER! Everybody who enters is given the reward of _2 one-shots_ each. :D Pretty neat right? But of course, I'm going to have to see effort. I'm not going to write two one-shots for someone who drew stick figures. If you entered 2 or 3 images, you still only get 2 one-shots, but your chances of being the winner are greater.**

**And now your probably wondering what the winner would get. The winner gets _3 one-shots_ and_ 2 series_. (Oh gosh, what am I getting myself into?)_  
><em>**

**Please turn in you art work by emailing me at k_siason yahoo .com (not including spaces) OR send it to me via DeviantArt. (My username there is also 18katrina.)**

**I hope you guys consider this!**


	11. Chapter 11

Dear readers,

It's been a while, hasn't it? I would like to start by apologizing a million times for being gone for so long. Really, I'm sorry. I'm reading this story from the beginning, and man, it really sucks. Guys, I have a confession to make. I started writing this story when I was 11. But still, somehow, someway, it has almost reached 100 reviews.

I truly can't comprehend why in the world you guys like this story so much. I really can't. As an apology for being such an arse and not updating, I wanted to know if you guys would like me to rewrite this story?

To be honest, I'm not even interested in Hetalia anymore. But you guys are just so amazing and supportive.

So...would you like me to start rewriting this?

Much thanks,

18katrina

P.S. Um... There was this reviewer called "Sasha" that said in her reviews that I'm plagiarizing this story? That is absolutely not true. This story is absolutely 100% mine (even though it sucks). I DO want to know why she called me a plagiarizer. Is there another person out there that possibly...plaigerized my story? I really want to know.


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